A Scottsdale massage therapist was arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse after a woman reported he touched her inappropriately during a massage last week, Scottsdale police said.

Caleb Cherry, 36, was arrested on one count of sexual abuse Feb. 16 after police responded to a report from a customer at a Massage Envy location in Scottsdale, officials said.

In an interview with police, the victim said she went in for a 90-minute massage at the business, adding she was a member at Massage Envy for 10 years and previously received about 120 massages, police said.

Though her massage started out as normal, the victim told police when she was face-up on the massage table, the man was massaging her upper thigh when he moved his hand under the sheet toward her genital area, police said.

The victim told Cherry to stop, but the man told her he was confused as to why she was uncomfortable and continued to massage her upper thigh, police said. She then said she sat up on the table and told Cherry to leave, which he did. After getting dressed, she left the room and went to the front desk and subsequently called Scottsdale police.

Cherry, who initially denied touching the victim inappropriately, then confessed to touching her, police said. Cherry told police he regretted his actions and did not want the victim to have a poor view of Massage Envy.

Massage Envy released a statement, confirming Cherry has been fired from his position. The statement also said the company does not condone sexual misconduct.

"Massage Envy is committed to promoting a safe environment for members, guests and service providers at each of our 1,200 franchise locations nationwide. We urge anyone who experiences anything other than a safe, quality massage to report it immediately to the franchise location so that it can be investigated.

"We support the decision of any victim to report misconduct, and it is the policy of Massage Envy to require its franchisees to supply any guest who claims to be a victim of sexual misconduct with the contact information of local law enforcement and the state board. As a confidential reporting option to any such guest, franchisees also are required to provide information for RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline. The hotline provides an anonymous link to a local sexual assault service provider who is trained to support victims of sexual assault and help them navigate the support, policy, and care that is most effective for them.

"Based on the guidance from leading experts, including RAINN, the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the US, it is our policy to respect the victim’s privacy and the victim’s right to decide whether they would like to report to law enforcement, the state board, or anyone else. We do require franchisees to report to law enforcement when required by law."

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